Theses, Internships, and Assistants

We are constantly looking for talented and motivated students to work with us on many research projects:

MSc/BSc thesis projects
Paid research assistants (HiWis)

Summer internships. I generally hire MSc/BSc students for summer internships through the CISPA Summer Research (CSR) internship program. The application deadline is typically at the end of November, so keep an eye on it.

Areas of Interest

We look for students to work on research problems in our areas of interest, i.e., the broad area of web security. I warmly recommend that you have a look at our recent publications to find out what we are working on.

While our group is primarily focused on web security, we are also looking for students with a strong background in machine learning and artificial intelligence to use these tools to solve web security and security testing problems.

Requirements

Our areas of research fall within the broader family of web security, meaning that we work on and with real software systems at scale. Working on these topics is challenging, and students with good technical skills are more likely to succeed. The list below summarizes a set of skills that we recommend you have to work on our projects:

Scripting languages, e.g., Python, JavaScript
Web security (e.g., do you know what SOP is?) and vulnerabilities (e.g., do you know what XSS is and how to exploit it?)
Common development tools, e.g., Git
LaTeX

Saarland University Students: If you are a UdS student, it is highly recommended that you attend my lectures or seminars (and get a good grade). If your focus is ML/AI, it is recommended that you have attended an ML course (e.g., Machine Learning, Machine Learning in Cybersecurity, ...).

Other Students (e.g., Erasmus thesis projects): If you are not a UdS student, it is still recommended to have a background in security topics, or in ML/AI for students with that focus. However, we welcome applications from strong students who strive to learn more about our topics.

How to Apply

Please send an email to Giancarlo Pellegrino with the following content:

Most recent transcript of records (PDF only)
Your CV (only for research assistants and non-UdS students; PDF only)
Find additional instructions in the CTF challenges below (using agents is not allowed)

CTF Challenges: Moar Instructions!

Why submit boring applications when ye can spice it up?!

Why settle for submitting boring applications when ye can submit somethin’ extraordinary (TM)? Want to spice things up a bit? Say no more, I’ve got ye covered!

Click here to access a CTF-style web security challenge, hosted right on this website. Your ultimate mission: capture the flags and uncover the secret submission instructions hidden within! Solving it is highly recommended.